Spicy Peanut Noodles

By Jess Kehoe, DPT

Are you thinking about eating less meat, or trying "Meatless Monday"?  Do you want a quick and tasty meal?  Like Thai food?  All are good reasons to try out this noodle recipe.   In my experience sometimes tofu is a little "blah" or maybe it's the texture people aren't psyched on, but this easy treatment of it provides some flavor and a little crunch, that I really like.  If tofu is not your thing, feel free to substitute with chicken, cooked stir fry style in the same sauce suggested for the tofu.  I also skipped the "spicy" part by omitting the chili paste since my kids are pretty sensitive to the kick, but I think this addition will really increase the yum factor!  In fact I'm sure my husband added some Sriracha to his serving. 

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 lb firm tofu, rinsed and patted dry, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/3 peanut butter, preferably crunchy
​3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 glove of garlic, minced
1/2-1 teaspoon chili paste (to your taste!)
1 lb wide rice noodles
2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and light green parts.
1 cup peas (room temp or defrosted if frozen)

Instructions:
Preheat your oven broiler to high.

Stir together the ginger and 1 tablespoon of the tamari or soy sauce in a medium bowl.  Add the cubed tofu and mix to coat.  I found that I needed another tablespoon of soy sauce here.  Coat a cooking sheet with non-stick spray or use some parchment paper, spread out the tofu in a single layer.  Place under the broiler for 5 minutes.  Flip the tofu then broil another 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, peanut butter, syrup, rice vinegar, water, sesame seeds, garlic, and chili paste.  Set aside.  

Cook the noodles according to the package.  (Note - some rice noodles suggest you soak them for a while, but I just cooked mine like pasta.  It worked out fine and was faster!)  Drain and rinse the noodles, then transfer them to a large bowl.  Mix in the peas, peanut sauce, tofu and scallions. 

Enjoy!